Steel Altar

FOR soprano, MEZZO-SOPRANO, tenor, baritone, and piano
2016

This piece was performed for the 2017 CU New Opera Workshop Composer Fellows' Initiative at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

This piece is based on my own experience with self-harm, suicidality, and friends in mental hospitals. This single-scene opera occurs during family therapy. While Sara's therapist lists off Sara's new medications, Sara's parents are desperate to know how to help their daughter. Meanwhile, Sara's truth gets snagged in her throat, and she learns how to finally express what she's felt since her suicide attempt.

This scene aims to depict the fear that precedes honesty, the pain of discovering someone you love isn't who you thought they were, and the wisdom that is gained when we honor our darkness.